U.S. government wants five years of foreign tourists’ social media histories and other personal information
International travelers to the United States may soon have to provide five years of social media history before entering the country, under a proposal from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The proposal, filed in the Federal Register on Wednesday, would require travelers to submit information online when filling out an electronic system application for travel authorization. This applies to travelers from Visa Waiver Program countries who plan to stay in the United States for no more than 90 days, including travelers from the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Greece, Japan, and Australia.
Additionally, the proposal would add “high-value data fields” to ESTA applications, including any email addresses used in the past 10 years, phone numbers used in the past 5 years, and information about travellers’ family members (and their phone numbers). Travelers are also required to provide IP addresses and metadata for any photos submitted electronically, as well as biometric information including face, fingerprint, iris or DNA.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it plans to make selfies a mandatory part of the application in addition to travelers’ passport photos.
Submissions to the Federal Register have a 60-day comment period during which “the public and affected agencies” can comment.
Currently, travelers who qualify for the Visa Waiver Program only need to provide an email address, home address, phone number and emergency contact, in addition to paying a $40 application fee (an increase this year from the previous $21). The travel authorization is valid for two years.
Providing social media information has been an optional part of the app since 2016, The New York Times reported.
Xiao Wang, co-founder and CEO of visa and immigration assistance company Boundless, told the newspaper he expected the government would now view the lack of social media information as “a sign that applicants are hiding something.”
A CBP spokesperson told The New York Times that the proposal is not a final rule but “a first step to begin discussions on developing new policy options to keep the American people safe.”
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Erik Hansen, senior vice president and head of government relations for the U.S. Travel Association, told TPG that the organization is “reviewing the proposed changes and working with governments to ensure we can safely and efficiently welcome millions of visitors to the World Cup and other major global events.”
“Screening must keep travelers and our country safe, but it must also keep America competitive,” Hansen added. “If we cannot provide an efficient, secure and modern screening process, international travelers will choose other destinations.”
Making travel more difficult for foreign tourists
This is not the first step taken by the Trump administration to target international tourists to the United States. A series of new regulations affecting inbound travel have also been introduced.
Starting Jan. 1, 2026, non-U.S. residents will need to pay an additional $100 or purchase a $250 annual pass to visit some of the most popular national parks, in what the government calls “America First Pricing.” According to CNBC, earlier this year, the government imposed a $250 “visa integrity fee” on travelers (including tourists, business travelers and international students) traveling to the United States on non-immigrant visas. This fee may increase.
As we reported in our 2026 Travel Trends Report, the U.S. travel industry has taken a big hit this year.
International travel to the United States in particular has been affected. In fact, inbound international travel is expected to decline this year for the first time since 2020, to just 85% of 2019 levels, according to the U.S. Travel Association. The World Travel and Tourism Council estimated earlier this year that the U.S. is expected to lose $12.5 billion in international visitor spending by 2025.
However, the U.S. Travel Association said that could change in 2026 due to major events such as the FIFA World Cup.
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